


To New Friends and Old Stories

by LiviKate



Category: High School Musical (Movies)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Party Games, Protective Chad, Referenced Bullying, Truth or Dare, Underage Drinking, sharpay is a good sister, sometimes, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-24 09:18:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8366833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiviKate/pseuds/LiviKate
Summary: “So Ryan,” Chad said, and the dancer’s belly squirmed with butterflies at his attention. He took another drink of wine in an effort to act casual but the glittering in his sister’s eye told him that at least her trained eye picked up on his crush. “Why did you quit baseball?”In which the gang bonds after the events of HSM 2 by way of a question game, Kelsi is a sweet little bean, Ryan is a fan of good wine and Chad is a fan of Ryan. Alcohol and pretty boys are involved and Sharpay is not as bad as she usually is.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I finished the 207 Chad/Ryan works here, and now I've started writing them. Here's number two. I have a problem.

After the talent show, after Sharpay graciously shared her spotlight with her brother, after Ryan got soaked in the sprinklers, standing shoulder to shoulder with Chad as water droplets fell from his ringlets, Ryan and Sharpay agreed to bring the party home. Their parents agreed, giving them and their guests ample space and booze, provided there was a bowl of car keys delivered to them upstairs before any drinking began.

Some Wildcats were exploring the house, splashing in the pool, or fucking in the guest house out back, Ryan didn’t care. He was splayed on his couch, in dry clothes again, with a glass of wine in his hand and his new friends around him.

It’d been a while since he had friends other than his sister. He knew people in drama club, but none of them truly liked him, not when he was always backing up Sharpay. He knew people from dance class, who weren’t poisoned by his association with the shebeast, but they could be a petty bunch, and it was hard for them to ignore how very much better Ryan was than any of them, even on their best days.

So to sit, giggling and warm, on his own couch, Kelsi pressed against his side, while Gabriella told a story, grinning and hiccupping her way through it, was not something he’d ever imagined. When Chad dropped himself down on his other side, arm stretching over the couch behind his back, giving him a winning smile, Ryan thought he might really be dreaming.

A loose circle had formed, comprising of the main characters in the summer drama that had taken over Lava Springs. Even Sharpay was peacefully coexisting with the group, probably because she’d fulfilled her need for control by sending Zeke on little errands all around the house, and how sat peacefully on the chaise with the boy sitting on the floor next to her, head rested gently on her knee.

“Let’s play a game,” Taylor suggested, from her spot on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, opposite Chad on the couch. Ryan expected them to be well on the way to sneaking off together, but instead they seemed to be giving each other a wide berth. It seemed they were better on paper than in practice and were likely still trying to be friends. Ryan tried to feel bad about that.

“I don’t think anyone needs to drink more,” responsible Troy said, being that it was already late, and many of them were already silly and sleepy.

“Nonsense,” Ryan and Sharpay said at once, both raising their half empty wine glasses in a mock salute. The group laughed as the twins smiled at each other.

“No, I like this idea,” Gabriella said, so earnestly it made Ryan want to roll his eyes. She was so sweet, so pure. He almost couldn’t stand it. He smiled, thinking he’d probably been spending too much time with his sister. “We should play a game to get to know each other better!”

“Truth or dare,” Jason suggested, taking another long drink of the craft beer the Evans stocked.

“But just the Truth part,” Ryan decreed. “Because I’m not doing anything that requires me to stand up.” He sunk further into the couch for dramatic effect, pretending as if letting his head fall back against Chad’s arm was as casual to him as letting his shoulder rub all along Kelsi’s side. Chad didn’t pull away, so perhaps he was successful.

“Alright, me first,” Sharpay said, predictably. “Gabriella, are you and Troy boning yet?”

Troy spit his beer elegantly all over the front of his shirt and Gabi dissolved into giggles, sloshing her brightly colored daiquiri in her glass as she rushed to cover her blushing face. Everyone laughed, and when Ryan took a good look at his sister, he didn’t find nearly as much malicious intent as he would’ve thought.

“No,” Gabriella answered, her and Troy’s face both bright red. She waited for him to take another nervous, self-conscious drink before slipping in a quiet “Not yet.” Troy spit all over himself again.

After the laughter died down, Gabriella turned to Kelsi to take her turn.

“Kels,” she said, earnestly, so fucking earnestly. “You write so many amazing love songs. I have to know, do you have someone special?”

Ryan tensed up, body locking with anxiety for his friend. Surely Gabi didn’t know what she was doing, she couldn’t. But Kelsi was a sweet girl, he didn’t think she could fake a convincing answer. This was the worst way to come out. He needed to think of a distraction, something big and dramatic. Sharpay would know what to do. She was a pro at this, she’d been gracefully extracting him from exactly these sort of horrible situations since he was in middle school. He turned to his sister, expecting to see some level of concern on her face, but she looked completely calm, sipping delicately at her wine. How could she not understand what was happening? Kelsi was about to be outted in front of a whole group of people, this was dangerous. How could she just sit there? Kelsi was a friend—

His panicked train of thought was stopped when Kelsi squeezed his knee, having sensed his tension and smiling gently at him.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” she said, shyly tucking a lock of hair up into her hat.

Chad suddenly tensed up on Ryan’s other side, shooting him a surprised look and Ryan worried that he might’ve caused that. Anxiety can spread like fire through people, and he knew it was pouring out of him right now.

“It’s Ryan?” Gabi asked, voicing ringing with surprise, picking up on the gentle reassurance Kelsi was giving him. Sharpay snorted derisively and Ryan had to do the same. Sharpay gave him a little smile, as if she knew Kelsi would be okay. Sometimes he forgot how incredibly smart his sister really was.

“No, it’s not Ryan,” Kelsi laughed. “But Ryan knows her. She goes to a different school.” There was a moment of silence in the room, confusion floating across all their faces save for the Evans siblings and Kelsi herself. About the same time Gabi’s face lit up with happy acceptance, Chad relaxed next to him again, leaning a little closer to him, knees knocking once as he shifted on the couch.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to freak you out,” Ryan said, turning to talk to him quietly as the room buzzed with congratulations, ranging from effusive to awkward. “I thought that was about to be really bad.”

“No worries,” Chad said, tapping the lip of his beer against the brim of Ryan’s hat. “I just figured I would know if you were out of the game.” Ryan quirked his head in surprised confusion, unconsciously fixing the angle of his hat, about to ask what he meant by that when Kelsi tapped his knee again.

“Thanks for worrying,” Kelsi said, snuggling closer to his other side.

“Hey, us queer kids gotta stick together,” Ryan said lightly, trying to pretend that the whole room hadn’t quieted down just in time to hear him say it. He knew most of them knew, in the vague sense where everyone assumes but no one really talks about it. But it’s another thing to say so, officially. But there wasn’t a surprised face in the room, so Ryan took another sip of wine, letting the tension drain out of him.

“My turn,” Kelsi said, looking over Ryan to direct a question to Chad. “Now you have to answer honestly, Chad.” Her face drew into a serious frown. “Do you, or do you not, love to dance?”

The room bubbled with laughter, Ryan especially, as Chad shook his head good naturedly.

“It’ll kill me to say this,” he said, grinning not at Kelsi but at Ryan instead. “But yeah, maybe I could learn to love dancing.” Ryan tipped his hat triumphantly to the room, leaning forward to take a little bow from his seated position. Jason and Zeke protested loudly, mostly jokingly, but Troy gave him an air fist bump and smiled approvingly.

When Ryan settled back against the couch, he was suddenly aware of how close he was sitting to Chad, less than a foot of space between their sides, the back of Ryan’s head resting gently on Chad’s forearm on the back of the couch.

“So Ryan,” Chad said, and the dancer’s belly squirmed with butterflies at his attention. He took another drink of wine in an effort to act casual but the glittering in his sister’s eye told him that at least her trained eye picked up on his crush. “Why did you quit baseball?”

This time, Sharpay didn’t skip a beat. Ryan thought he saw a flicker of regret on her face as she jumped to her feet, already shouting.

“Are you kidding me?! These are Manolo Blahniks,” she shouted at Zeke, who was looking shocked and confused. “You can’t just drip your beer all over them!”

“Sharpay,” Ryan said, raising his voice over the din of confusion as people jumped to Zeke’s defense, completely falling for her misdirection. “It’s fine, I got this.” She gave him a look like he’d lost his mind and they had a silent conversation mostly comprised of eyebrows and sibling intuition.

“Shar, I’m sorry, I know how much you love your shoes,” Zeke apologized profusely, practically throwing his beer onto the table, holding his hands up in supplication.

“It’s fine, Zeke, you didn’t do anything,” Ryan placated. “Sharpay was creating a distraction so I wouldn’t have to answer that question.” Quite a few pairs of eyebrows raised, shocked, apparently, that Sharpay ever thought of anyone but herself. Ryan rolled his eyes but gave a kind smile to his sister. “But it’s fine, I will. After all, we’re all here to get to know each other better.” Sharpay smiled tensely back at him, small and doubtful but there nonetheless. “But first I need a refill,” she said, waggling his empty wine glass. “It’s not a happy story, so I suggest we drink up, or the mood will be well and truly killed.”

He stood up, grabbing Sharpay’s near empty glass as well.

“Anyone else need another drink?” he asked as he headed into the kitchen. There were some murmurings but no definitive answers. Ryan grabbed a fresh beer for Zeke anyway, hoping he would see his sister’s outburst as the act of kindness it was and not the break in sanity it was supposed to seem. He turned around to open the wine fridge and found Chad lingering behind him.

“Need a new one?” he asked, gesturing with the bottle he’d grabbed for Zeke.

“I thought I’d try what you’re drinking,” he said, leaning against the counter, hips cocked attractively and his arms crossed over his chest. Ryan smiled.

“Try mine first,” he offered, refilling his own glass and handing it to the other boy. “If you like it, I’ll pour you your own.” Chad sipped it delicately, and Ryan tried to convince himself he should care about the delicate floral bouquet and subtle undertones that were being wasted on his untrained palate, but instead he just thought that Chad’s face of surprise was adorable.

“This is really good,” he said, handing it back to Ryan, their fingers brushing as he took it.

Ryan poured Chad a glass and was busy picking out a new vintage for his sister when Chad cleared his throat.

“You don’t have to answer, you know, if you don’t want to,” he said. “I feel like I put you on the spot, and I didn’t mean to. You’re just really good, and I don’t know why you’re not starting pitcher for the Wildcats.”

Ryan smiled at him, wondering to himself why this kind of earnestness was comical on Gabriella and endearing on Chad.

“If I really didn’t want to share, I’d have let Sharpay’s outburst do exactly what she meant it to,” he said, passing him his glass of wine and taking a sip of his own. “Grab that beer for Zeke. It’s story time,” he said, taking his glass and his sister’s and leaving the kitchen with ample swing of his narrow hips.

When they settled down in the sitting room again, Ryan told himself that Chad sat so close because he was a good friend and felt guilty, not for any other reason. Ryan held his glass in both hands, letting his elbows rest on his knees. He took a breath.

“When we were living in Rhode Island, I was on the baseball team for my middle school. In sixth grade, I’d been on the JV team, but I was definitely the best player, so when seventh grade started, I tried out for varsity. My best friend, Mikey also played ball with me, and we tried out together. I knew I was going to make it, but I didn’t know if Mikey was good enough to make varsity, too. So when the list went up outside the gym, and I saw Mikey’s name was on it with mine, I was really excited that we’d get to keep playing together.”

Ryan paused to take a sip of wine, the back of his neck prickling with sweat. It didn’t matter how many hundreds of people he’d performed in front of before, telling this story in front of this small group of highschoolers was about as much stage fright as he’d ever had.

“He was my best friend, and I really liked him. So when we saw our names, and he hugged me, I kissed him.” He looked down at his glass and not the people around him, not wanting to see the looks on any of their faces. “I didn’t even think about it, it just kinda felt right. It was my first kiss.” He took another long drink when Gabi let out a gentle, romantic little sigh.

“Mikey kissed me back a little, but then I guess he remembered that there were other people around. He shoved me away and wouldn’t talk to me for a couple days. That weekend, he called my house and said he wanted to practice together before our first team practice, to make sure he was ready. I thought he’d forgiven me.” Ryan laughed a little, self-deprecatingly, shaking his head at his childish naivety.

“Anyway, when I showed up at the diamond, he was there with a couple eighth graders from the team, and two highschoolers. I think they were probably older brothers of guys on the middle school team. But there were eight of them and one of me. I don’t remember exactly what he said—”

Sharpay interrupted him.

“You told me he said that fairies couldn’t play baseball because fairies could get stomped on,” she said, her voice biting and angry, even after years.

“How do you remember that?” Ryan asked, disbelievingly, her words ringing true and terrible in his head, jogging his memory of that day that was mostly remembered by pain and fear.

“I remember every terrible thing anyone has ever said to you,” she said, her tone flat and serious. “I remember what they said, I remember their names, and I always know how to find them.” The last part she said as a warning, glaring dangerously at everyone in the room, even soft-hearted Gabi and Kelsi.

“Thanks, sis,” Ryan said quietly, wishing no one else was here, feeling vulnerable in front of so many eyes. He took a deep breath and a big drink and continued. “Anyway, they beat the shit out of me. I don’t know for how long, but there were a lot of them and it felt like forever. I had a cell phone, for emergencies and stuff, but they broke it, so after they left, I just had to lay there, on the field, until our nanny came to pick me up an hour later.” Ryan looked up from the wine in his hands to see Taylor with her hand over her mouth, looking horrified. Gabi was crying silently and Troy was holding her tightly against his side. Even Jason was sitting up straight, looking shocked at the words coming out of his mouth.

“You had five broken ribs, a broken arm and a concussion,” Sharpay said quietly. “You were in bed for two weeks while Mom and Dad sued the parents of all the kids who were there.”

“You broke your hand punching Mikey in the face,” Ryan said, a sad smile on his face. “You crawled in bed with me after you got suspended and we watched musicals together.”

“Until I started crying because you couldn’t sing along with me because of your broken ribs.” Sharpay said, an equally sorrowful smile on her face at the bittersweet memory.

“So we watched pirate movies instead,” Ryan said, leaning back into the couch with a smile on his face, remembering those two weeks almost fondly. He got to spend that time with his sister, who he loved and who loved him. That was just one of the many times that Sharpay proved that the only person she loved as much as herself was her brother. It made things like this summer easy to forgive; Ryan knew that even though she could be careless, she’d always be on his side when it truly mattered.

“So we switched school districts and I never played baseball again,” he concluded. “Until I broke out the glove to show you a thing or two,” he said, turning to Chad with a cheeky smile.

His smile dropped from his lips when he saw the look on Chad’s face though. He was angry. Furious. Ryan had never seen him this angry, his whole body vibrating with it, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white under his dark skin. He was glaring at Ryan like he wanted to hit him, and for the first time since he’d known the boy, Ryan was afraid that he might. Ryan’s blood went cold and he froze, aware of how close they were sitting and for the first time that didn’t make his blood rush with excitement.

“I also should mention,” he said slowly, meeting Chad’s gaze and not backing down. “That I started martial arts and self defense classes as soon as I got better and have been training ever since.” The intensity of Chad’s glare lessened slightly, as if maybe he was reconsidering starting a fight. Good. “So don’t fuck with me,” Ryan said bitingly.

Chad’s expression cleared to shock instantly, and Ryan relaxed a little.

“I’m sorry,” he started, reaching a hand toward the dancer, and wincing when Ryan flinched away from him.

“If you have a problem, you know where the door is,” Sharpay said, voice made of ice and glass as she watched the interaction carefully

“No, no problem, I just can’t believe that happened to you,” the jock said, expression swamped in guilt at his severe reaction. “I’m not mad at you, I’m pissed at those guys, at that fucking Mikey asshole. I would never hurt you like that,” he said seriously, and Ryan didn’t think he fully understood the parallels he was drawing. He appreciated the gesture all the same, though, and nodded stiffly as the fear and hurt he was feeling began to be replaced by relief.

“Good,” he said, turning his nose up. “I’d hate to have to break your pretty face.”

That seemed to dispel most of the tension in the room, hesitant laughter filling the silence his story had cast over the room. All his friends looked some degree of shell-shocked, except Kelsi who just looked sad and commiserating, and his sister who was still glaring murderously at Chad’s thick fringe of hair.

“Told you it was a downer,” Ryan joked, tossing back the last of the wine in his glass. “But now it’s my turn.” He grinned at his sister. “Hey Shar, about what percentage of the tantrums you’ve thrown since we’ve been in high school have been distractions to keep me from getting in trouble?”

She smiled a little, mostly to herself.

“Maybe 25%,” she said, tossing her hair like she was proud of it. She should be. Some people in the room looked at her with surprise, and maybe a new appreciation. “It’s not my fault you always need saving,” she said primly, taking a sip of wine.

They played for a couple more rounds, until everyone in the circle had answered two or three questions. Ryan did end up having a little bit of fun, learning about people, both serious and hilarious things. They disbanded after a while, more than one of his new friends giving him tight hugs before they wandered off to bed or to the kitchen. Zeke was making pancakes for a midnight snack, but Ryan wasn’t hungry. He took another bottle of wine and headed out to his balcony.

He was sipping the sweet wine, gazing out over the dancing blue of their pool and taking a little solace in the silence when he heard a now familiar throat clearing behind him.

“Hey, want some company?” Chad asked, his empty wineglass dangling from his long fingers.

“Sure,” Ryan said, turning around and leaning back against the railing, his body feeling warm and loose from the alcohol.

“Hey, I don’t know what kinda face I was making when you told that story. I just know I was really fucking angry,” Chad said, ambling his way over, leaning his hip against the balcony rail by Ryan’s side. “But not at you.”

“It’s cool,” Ryan said easily, shrugging his shoulders as he passed the wine bottle. Chad accepted it and poured.

“I’m really sorry that you thought I was gonna hurt you.”

“I thought you were going to try to hurt me,” Ryan corrected. “I didn’t think you were going to succeed.”

“You can handle yourself?” Chad asked, a challenge in his voice and the tilt of his chin.

“How many times do I have to show you that I’ve got game,” Ryan shot back, turning to face him. They were standing so close, Chad’s forearm was resting along the railing and his hand could’ve been curled around Ryan’s ribs if his wine glass hadn’t been in the way.

“At least one more,” Chad said, setting his glass on the barrier and stepping into the center of the space. “Show me what you got,” he said, his booze loose body taking up a fighting stance.

A slow grin spread across Ryan’s face, and Chad’s eyes twinkled in the blue, pool light. The blond put his glass down as well, advancing on Chad until they were just an arm’s distance apart.

“Throw a punch,” Ryan said, voice steady and competent. Chad did, a slow right hook that at full power might have left him with a nasty shiner. Ryan ducked his head to the side and stepped into the punch, suddenly close enough to touch the basketball player’s hair, his outstretched arm curving around his shoulder. Ryan hooked his inside foot around Chad’s outside leg, his heel pushing insistently at the crook of his knee. As his leg buckled and his weight dropped, Ryan took a fistful of his tshirt and shoved him backwards.

The alcohol made it seem like a great idea to follow Chad down, instead of catching him in the air. Ryan caught him just above the ground, one hand pressed on the concrete balcony floor next to Chad’s head, his knees planted on either side of one of the jock’s thighs.

Chad’s eyes were wide and shocked, looking up at Ryan like he was a little unsure as to how he came to be on the ground, his right arm caught around the back of the other boy’s neck where the momentum of his punch had led it. They stared at each other for a while like that, frozen in the moment, acclimating to their new equilibrium. Then Chad’s eyes went half lidded and he tipped his chin up for a kiss.

Ryan complied immediately, his mouth covering the other boy’s, the hand fisted in his shirt flattening to feel the swell of his chest as he sucked in a gasp as the first flicker of Ryan’s tongue. The dancer lowered his body gently onto the one below him, pressing into the boy from lips to hip. Chad’s arm tightened around his neck as his mouth open yieldingly to the blond’s tongue. His other arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him even closer.

Ryan slid spit-slick lips over his partner’s lush lips, before dipping back into his mouth. He pulled his knees more securely underneath him, balancing himself enough to be able to bury his other hand into those unruly curls, the ones Ryan always want to pull, and tame and tie and tug. Shifting his knees, though, brought his thigh into incredibly close contact with Chad’s groin, and Ryan had never tasted anything better than the groan he released into his mouth.

“Fuck, Ryan,” Chad moaned, bucking his hips up into his partner’s narrow body. The hand cupping his waist slid south to grip his ass, palming it like a basketball. Ryan gasped wetly, pushing his own hardening cock into the groove of Chad’s hip. He slid his mouth down over his jaw, nipping and biting, before sucking on the dusky skin, making it even darker with the slick, wet pressure of his mouth.

Ryan’s hand slid under Chad’s head just moments before grinding his hips down in a tight circle, catching and protecting his skull when the jock arched his back sharply. Ryan laughed into his skin, biting at his throat.

“I wanna blow you,” he said, tongue feeling loose in his mouth. “But if I do it here, you’re gonna brain yourself on the floor.”

Chad just whined against him, thrusting up, chasing sensation.

“Please,” he gasped, the hand on his ass digging in with bruising force.

“C’mon, c’mon,” Ryan said, trying to untangle himself.

“No,” he protested, trying to pull the other man back down against him. Ryan laughed again, catching his wrists and tugging up with him.

“Get up so I can get you in my bed,” he said, and that argument seemed acceptable to Chad, you hastened to his feet and plastered himself against his partner and knocking off his hat as he led him back through the doors and into his room. They kissed as they moved, Chad letting Ryan lead him blindly, seeming not to care about anything other than sliding their tongues together and touching that long, lean, dancer’s body everywhere. When Ryan estimated they were close to the bed, he drew his hands to Chad’s chest and shoved. The jock fell back, lips swollen and sinful, and Ryan could barely drag his eyes away.

“Get naked,” he said, before painfully turning his back and hurrying to the door. Chad had left it open, when he’d poked inside in the hopes of finding Ryan, and now Ryan closed it firmly, flicking the lock and hoping they’d remain undisturbed. When he turned around, it was to see Chad kicking free of his shorts, laying back against his bed like he was always meant to be in it. Ryan’s mouth went dry as the smooth tones of the athlete’s skin glowed rich and warm against his navy, white and green comforter, a cool contrast to his coppery skin.

“You look incredible,” he sighed, pulling himself out of his clothes in a hurry, dancer’s grace keeping him on his feet as he crossed the room and shucked his pants simultaneously.

“You, too,” Chad said, reaching for him with greedy hands, pulling Ryan onto the bed and onto him. They slid together perfectly, hard heat and flat muscle, soft skin barely stretched tight between them. Ryan caught his lips in another fierce kiss, as they moved together, hands flitting everywhere, trying to learn every inch of skin on offer, moving with increasing strength and desperation as heat built within them.

“Yeah, jus’ like that,” Chad slurred in mindless encouragement, hands gripping tightly at his waist, teeth nipping at his ears before smearing his mouth across his cheek to suck on his tongue. Ryan worked his hips, leading Chad’s in a smooth rhythm, feet searching for leverage on the silk-soft bedclothes. It wasn’t long before that gorgeous, dark-skinned body was locking up underneath him, and Chad threw his head back into the blankets as he covered their stomachs in his release. Ryan lost rhythm as he thrust through that wet heat trapped between them, until he came as well, rutting through the mess between their bellies, grunting through his nose at the incredible rightness he felt when he slumped against Chad’s chest.

They caught their breath, Chad’s hands big and soothing on the pale boys sweat-sheened back. Ryan pressed light, dry kisses across his shoulder, laughing into his skin.

“I wanted to blow you,” he complained, as much as one can complain directly after coming onto a beautiful boy.

“Give me fifteen minutes,” Chad huffed with a sleepy smile, a finger crooked under Ryan’s chin pulling him into a kiss.

“I’ve been thinking about you for so long,” Ryan confessed against his lips.

“Me too,” Chad replied, surprising his partner.

“Since the baseball game?” he asked, certain that that’s when their flirting had really begun.

“Since golfing,” Chad corrected him. He laughed at Ryan’s raised eyebrows. “I already knew you could swing,” he admitted, with a shit eating grin. Ryan just laughed in return, pressing his laughter into his soft simply because he could and he liked the way Chad’s skin felt sliding under his lips.

“Stay with me tonight?” he asked the skin of Chad’s shoulder. Chad tightened both arms around him, pressing his lips to his hairline.

“I plan on staying longer than that.”

Ryan smiled and thought that this story might have a happy ending after all.


End file.
